Description
This creamy corn chowder is a hearty and flavorful soup combining Italian sausage, fresh vegetables, tender potatoes, and sweet corn in a rich, smooth broth. Perfect for warming up any weeknight with a balanced mix of creaminess and vegetable goodness.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 1 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage
Vegetables
- 2 stalks celery (diced)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 4 russet or gold potatoes (washed and dried)
- 4 cups sweet corn (canned or frozen)
Herbs and Spices
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
Liquids
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup whole milk
Garnish (Optional)
- Parsley (optional)
- Shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the sausage: In a stockpot over medium heat, brown the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, for 6-8 minutes until fully cooked. If more than two tablespoons of liquid remains, discard the excess.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the diced celery, onion, and red bell pepper to the browned sausage. Stir and sauté until soft, about 4-6 minutes.
- Prepare and cook potatoes and corn: Peel or leave skin on three potatoes and dice them into ½-inch cubes. Slice the remaining potato into ½-inch wedges. Add all prepared potatoes, 2 cups of corn, kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
- Blend potato wedges and corn: Remove the potato wedges from the pot. Combine them with the remaining 2 cups of corn and whole milk in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Finish the chowder: Pour the blended mixture back into the soup. Bring to a simmer and cook for an additional 5 minutes to heat through.
- Serve: Ladle the chowder into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and shredded cheese if desired.
Notes
- This chowder balances creamy and light broth flavors, perfect for winter warming meals.
- Using both diced and wedge-cut potatoes helps create a thick, creamy texture when blended.
- Substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock for a lighter, vegetarian-friendly option (though sausage would need replacing).
- For a dairy-free version, use a plant-based milk alternative instead of whole milk.
- Adjust sausage type to sweet or spicy depending on your flavor preference.
- Fresh corn adds sweetness, but canned or frozen corn works well year-round.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 404 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
